Pounder makes her picks for PWHL coach of the year, MVP

TSN Hockey analyst Cheryl Pounder shares who she thinks will be named PWHL coach of the year, and who will take home the Billie Jean King MVP award.

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We’re entering the final week of the PWHL regular season, last week the league announced its list of awards for players, so we’re going to ask you about some of your picks for the end of season trophies.

Let’s start between the pipes, who is your goaltender of the year?

Cheryl Pounder: Well these are tough, but my goaltender of the year is going to go to PWHL Toronto’s Kristen Campbell.

Listen, she didn’t start off strong to start the season, one win in five games, and then went on an 11-game winning streak. That is right, an 11-game winning streak with PWHL Toronto, who are now sitting tied for first place. 

So, you look at her and how pivotal she has been to get her team to this position, you look at her 20 starts. I look at her and I say, she has been the best goaltender on the season.

Of course we have to ask you about the blueliners, so do you think is going to win defender of the year?

Pounder: Well, there’s a number of defenders that I looked at, but I kept coming back to Boston’s Megan Keller.

I mean, she is just a great transitional skater, but it’s what she does at both ends of the ice, playing over 25 minutes, on average, a game. 

Every time you look, this woman is on the ice, but she’s not just defending, where she gaps up and she closes quickly, she has an edge and a physical element to her game, but she’s also jumping into the rush as well. 

She has fourteen points and 50 shots on goal and will be used in absolutely every situation, so she was heavily relied upon for a 200-foot game to provide offence as well as defence.

From the blueline, let’s go